- Panasonic unveils new version of very affordable ErgoFit in-ear headphones
- New model ditches 3.5mm for USB-C
- Otherwise, same buds
Panasonic just announced a new model of its low-cost ErgoFit In-Ear Wired Headphones, affordable and colorful in-ear headphones that have been on the market for a few years now and are designed for everything from working out to commuting. The new offerings appear to keep the same drivers and design, but bring one crucial change.
Now the Panasonic ErgoFit can be purchased with a USB-C connector, not just the 3.5mm version used by the “original” version. You can recognize the new model by its “(USB-C compatible)” suffix, but otherwise the online listings look similar.
The new headphones cost $24.99 (around £20, AU$40), a slight increase from previous models listed online for between $8 and $20. At the moment they sell in white, black and blue; no bright orange or red or any of the other vibrant colors offered by the 3.5mm options.
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They feature a 3.6-foot cable, three sizes of built-in ear tips, and playback buttons on the cable.
Who still has a headphone jack?
This isn’t Panasonic’s first pair of wired USB-C in-ear headphones, but the reason it’s announcing the turn of its popular headphones is likely due to the slight comeback wired headphones seem to be making (at least in the public eye – I’ve yet to see sales figures make such an argument).
Although 3.5mm jacks are the traditional connector for personal audio, there’s a problem: how many phones still have headphone jacks? A small handful each year, and rarely big brands. If you want wired audio, you usually need to buy an adapter or opt for USB-C first.
This is why USB-C headphones make sense: you can actually use them on your smartphone (and tablet, laptop, PC; anything with a USB-C port). It’s a sad sign of the times, but USB-C is replacing 4.4mm as the connector of choice for non-audiophiles (and audiophiles probably aren’t buying $25 headphones anyway).
I love my wired audio, but I admit I barely use 3.5mm. Most of the tech I test is Bluetooth, my keyboard/guitar/amp setup is 6.3mm, and my PC and bookshelf speakers are both (gasp) USB-C. The only 3.5mm device I use regularly is a lavalier mic, which requires an adapter to use on anything.
Of course, Panasonic continues to sell its 3.5mm ErgoFits, and many people still use this type of connector. Laptops and the best portable music players still use them, and not all laptops and PCs have USB-C (or, at least, available ports). But increasingly, we’ll see new releases of the best wired headphones using USB-C, at least as an option.
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